JASON Kelce has been forced to apologize after accusing a legendary Kentucky Derby winner of using steroids.
On a recent episode of the New Heights podcast, Jason Kelce put on his conspiracy cap and went off on a tangent claiming that Secretariat was taking steroids.
Secretariat is widely considered the best horse to ever race, but Kelce didn’t think his achievements were fair.
“The secretariat was full of energy,” said Kelce.
“It turns out that Secretariat is right in the heart of the steroid era.
“(In) 1973, every NFL player, every baseball player, they were squeezing them to the gills. Don’t you think the Secretariat was stretched to the rafters?
“They didn’t drug test Secretariat like they did Mystik Dan. Nobody talks about it. Secretariat was doping, there’s no chance Secretariat wasn’t doping.”
Secretariat is one of 13 horses to complete the American Triple Crown, winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
In the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Secretariat won the race by 31 lengths, which is still the American record for a 1.5-mile dirt track.
As Kelce ranted about the championship-winning horse, fans argued that Secretariat had a naturally enlarged heart, but Kelce continued to attribute it to steroids.
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“I’m just going to put this out there, you know who else has enlarged hearts. People who take large amounts of steroids,” Kelce posted on X.
“I admit I don’t know whether Secretariat used steroids or not, it’s impossible to know because in 1973 when Secretariat won the triple crown there were no adequate tests available to find out.
“But the fact that this horse had unparalleled muscular stature and died with an enlarged heart, and ran at a time when steroids were extremely prevalent, without adequate testing, raises flags in my book.
“Thoroughbred steroid use dates back to at least the 1960s. I’m not saying what Secretariat did wasn’t impressive, because he was probably also competing against other, more potent horses of his era.
“If Secretariat were in fact a natural horse, that would make his achievements even more impressive.
“I think it’s highly unlikely given the circumstances of where the sport was at that time, how dominant the horse was at the time and the records it still holds to this day.
“The enlarged heart in my mind is actually more evidence that at some point the horse was being squeezed.
“There is a gene that some purebreds carry that causes a bigger heart, but this wasn’t just a bigger heart, it was a heart big enough for the vet to say it was the biggest heart he had ever seen.
“The horse was born without a doubt with incredible natural mechanics and ability, and it may have been natural, but I also think it’s unlikely given the time it raced and what was happening with a lot of these horses and the lack of testing available.”
Kelce continued to complain about Secretariat’s accomplishments before finally apologizing for making assumptions.
“I’m sorry guys, I wasn’t trying to piss people off, I really thought it was known that in the 70s steroid use was rampant,” he wrote.
“I’m not trying to take away the legacy of Secretariat or anyone from that time.
“You’re right, without proof it’s unfair to assume these things publicly, I apologize.”
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